Action

Definition

Action in pharmacology refers to the mechanism by which a drug produces its effects on the body. It includes understanding how the drug interacts with cellular receptors and biochemical pathways.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Drug action involves binding to specific receptors to initiate a biological response.
2. The intensity of a drug's action is related to its concentration at the site of action.
3. Pharmacological actions can be therapeutic, toxic, or both depending on dose and patient factors.
4. Agonists enhance receptor activity while antagonists inhibit it.
5. Duration of action depends on drug metabolism and excretion rates.

Review Questions

• What is meant by the term 'drug action' in pharmacology?
• How do agonist and antagonist drugs differ in their actions?
• Why is it important to understand the duration of a drug's action?

Related terms

Pharmacokinetics: The study of how drugs move through the body, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

Pharmacodynamics: The study of how drugs affect the body, focusing on mechanisms of action and relationships between drug concentration and effect.

Receptor: A protein molecule that receives chemical signals from outside a cell, which then results in changes within the cell.